Household pets, such as dogs and cats, tend to shed hair, which collects on carpets, furniture, and other areas of the home. A common complaint of pet owners is the seemingly never-ending battle to remove the pet hair. Pet hair and other similar debris can be relatively small and difficult to collect, even with conventional vacuum cleaners. Further, when vacuum cleaners having rotating or otherwise moving parts, such as rotatable agitators and air turbines, in the suction path are used to remove pet hair and other similar debris, the pet hair can collect at the moving parts, thereby impeding the operation and effectiveness of the vacuum cleaner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,777 to Frederick et al. discloses a turbine powered vacuum cleaner tool wherein a nozzle body encloses an agitator located adjacent an elongated suction inlet opening. A turbine rotor is rotatably connected to the nozzle body and operatively connected to the agitator so that airflow generated by a remote suction source flows through the nozzle body and rotates the agitator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,995 to Varon discloses a brush for removing animal hair from carpeting and upholstery comprising a plurality of flexible bristles composed of polymeric materials that create an electrostatic charge to attract the animal hair to the bristles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,885 to Jones discloses a brush having a base member, a plurality of flexible plastic bristles mounted to the base member and a tubular adapter for connection with a vacuum cleaner to remove loose hair dislodged while brushing an animal. In an alternate embodiment, the brush comprises a mitt secured to a flexible base member to receive the hand of the operator.
German Patent Application Publication No. 2,100,465 to Schwab discloses a sweeper with a horizontal brush driven by the rotation of ground engaging wheels. Bristle pads are arranged on both sides of the brush and have bristles directed toward the rotating horizontal brush.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0170140 to Diaz et al, now abandoned, discloses a vacuum cleaner adapter comprising a bristle wheel comprising protruding bristles for removing hair and animal fur from rugs and carpets. The bristles can be made of natural or synthetic organic, polymeric, elastomeric, or composite materials such as nylon, rubber, or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,569 to Jailor discloses a debris impeller for a cleaning device comprising impeller segments with a non-cylindrical opening configured to be slipped over a twisted flat wire axle. Each impeller segment comprises a plurality of resilient paddles that extend radially outwardly from a central hub section.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0248680 to Heidenga et al. discloses a vacuum accessory tool having a rotating agitator brush with bristles and a separate hair removal element.